Re: Fireball or re-entry?
Jake Rees (jrburca@worldnet.att.net)
Wed, 17 Nov 1999 01:46:11 -0800
Here is a web page with a picture of it.
http://www.fox19.com/newsstory1.asp?storyid=19991116231631
This web page comments "Astronomers couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was,
but say it was likely space junk or pieces of a satellite." My take on that
is that it is incorrect. I tend to agree with those on the list who think
it was a fireball meteor. Would not the fact that it was seen over a large
geographical area eliminate the possibility of it having been a re-entry of
space junk? Wouldn't a space junk re-entry be limited to a smaller
geographical area since they begin at 50-100 miles altitude? Also, is it
not correct that meteors hitting the atmosphere coming from the west going
towards the east are hitting an atmosphere already going ~20,000 MPH in that
same direction, because of the earth's rotation, and so tend to have a more
liesurely burn just as this one did? More reports can be found at
sci.astro.amateur.
In any case, wish I could have seen it. I'll be looking for Leonids Wed.
night/Thurs. morning barring a cloud problem.
-- Jake Rees
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